


This Is The Best Way

by eating_custardinbed



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Depressing, Heavy Angst, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 08:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18340256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eating_custardinbed/pseuds/eating_custardinbed
Summary: When one day goes terribly wrong...





	This Is The Best Way

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is how I cheekily slipped fanfiction into my English homework! I actually plan on doing something like this for my Language GCSE XD... Anyways, that's why there's no names mentioned, cos I had to be discreet.

Why, oh why did I leave the good umbrella at home? 

 

The torrential rain is hammering down, barely able to hit the pavement before it bounces back up into the air. Gargantuan puddles, which are coming to resemble small ponds, have formed at the side of the road, skirting far too close to the path of the oncoming cars for my liking. The dirty, contaminated water splashes up from the gutter, forced by reckless, speeding drivers to rehome on my already damp (ha: understatement of the century) shoes. The umbrella that I have, the back-up one which I keep in the office, is all but useless against the howling gales which come forward in surges, hitting me when I least expect it. I am soaked to the skin, and every drop that hits me is like an icy bullet on my skin, making tremors pass through my body. I am craving my home, my warm, soft bed and a hot dinner. 

Even on a day like this, the city streets are packed full. Whether it be tourists flocking to the world-famous landmarks, businessmen hurrying along to meetings or just residents wishing they’d opted for a cottage in the countryside, it’s always busy here. Today is no different, despite the storm trying its very best to batter us off the pavements and the cars off the road. For once, there is no traffic lining the potholed streets, and the motorists are taking full advantage, speeding along their way as if the speed limit is nothing more than a light-hearted suggestion. It’s pleasant to have a bit of a change for once, but it does mean that cabs are in short supply. I stand on my tip-toes, trying to see over the sea of people whether or not a taxi has become available. I only stop when my companion lightly touches my arm, pulling me away from my search. This is the best way. 

Turning to my partner, I smile at him as we walk past an old-style butcher’s, one of the ones with a plastic cover on the front. Unfortunately, said cover chooses that exact moment to expel its store of water, and it lands square on my head. I stop in my tracks, gasping a little. My companion cannot conceal his smile, but even if it is at my expense, I don’t care: that smile is much too rare these days. Simultaneously, we both glare first up at the covering, then at the deep grey swirling clouds. Thunder sounds ominously. My companion offers his hand to me and I take it gratefully as we continue down the street. This is the best way. 

“It’s like the second flood,” I joke to my partner. He grins again, showing me a flash of pearly white teeth. His ebony curls are plastered to his forehead, but thankfully his bespoke and insanely expensive suit is saved by his thick woolen coat: Lord knows what he’d do if one of his precious suits got ruined. He turns to me, his kaleidoscope eyes shining. That’s one of the things I love about him: his smiles always reach his eyes. I never realised how accentuated his cheekbones, sharp enough to cut iron, look with the soft glow of the streetlight bouncing off of his alabaster skin. He is unblemished. Handsome. Perfect. Far too perfect for me. 

We reach the road. The lights are red. He must have noticed something that I have not, because all of a sudden he breaks away from me and gallops to the middle of the road, bending down to pick up something from the ground. Laughing, I shake my head and start after him. The rain is still falling heavily. Thunder rumbles again, like a discontent child. I have nearly reached him. Barely two steps away. It’s then that I see the car. Speeding towards us. No intent of stopping. My partner doesn’t see it. This is the best way.

Time stands still. I have a choice: my life or his. I cast a longing look at my companion. A violent image of his body, bloodied and bruised by a car that cut off his life too soon, far too soon, flashes before my eyes and I know what I have to do. I take a deep breath. I’m scared. But I know it’s the right thing. This is the best way. 

Reality resumes. My companion looks up and sees the car hurtling towards him. His shoulders sag, and he knows he will not be able to move in time, I can tell. He looks at me. Something in his hand glints in the car’s headlights, but I don’t have time to see what it is before I reach out and shove him out of the way, out of the path of the car. The force sends me down, and I happily take his place. So many words left unsaid, so many actions undone. I could not have lived with myself if he had died. This is the best way.

The last thing I hear before the car takes me is my partner screaming my name. 

This is the best way.

**Author's Note:**

> Gah, hope you enjoyed! Please remember to leave comments and kudos, I love reading you guys' feedback xx


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